Mason Boring
Board Member
(he/him)
Mason grew up in Madisonville, Tennessee just outside Tellico Plains in the foothills of the Cherokee National Forest. He spent most of his childhood & teenage years recreating in the wildest parts of East Tennessee. His love for public lands, wild places, and people led him to study Wildlife Biology & Forestry before graduating from Carson Newman University with bachelors degrees in Social Entrepreneurship & Psychology.
Mason moved to Pokhara, Nepal after graduation to work for a non-profit organization teaching English and the development of various empowerment programs, while exploring the Annapurna Range of the Himalayans.
He moved back to Tennessee to marry the love of his life and began working for a startup as a business development manager before meeting Bill and Laura Hodge - who encouraged him into the wild work of conservation. He began working part time for Tennessee Wild as a community outreach coordinator before later quitting his job altogether to work as a Wilderness Ranger for SAWS. Shortly after, he was hired as the Wilderness & Outreach Specialist for SAWS. After four years of service, Mason transitioned into the United States Forest Service to serve as the Front-country Trails Lead on the South Zone of the Cherokee National Forest, back where it all began.
In his free time, he enjoys traveling, whitewater kayaking, Brazilian jiu jitsu, backpacking, and photography.